


One Last Lesson

by hellowkatey



Series: Febuwhump 2021 [12]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, FebuWhump2021, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Ghost Qui-Gon Jinn, Force Ghost(s), Gen, Ghosts, Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, POV Qui-Gon Jinn, Padawan Anakin Skywalker, Whump, who are you?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:40:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29385717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellowkatey/pseuds/hellowkatey
Summary: Qui-Gon tries to reach out to Obi-Wan from beyond the living. It doesn't go as expected.[Febuwhump day 12: "who are you?"]
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Qui-Gon Jinn & Obi-Wan Kenobi
Series: Febuwhump 2021 [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2138259
Comments: 6
Kudos: 79





	One Last Lesson

The afterlife was getting quite dull. There is only so much to do after being returned to the Force. It's given Qui-Gon a lot of time to relax, meditate, and go back to revisit some of the parts of his life he wished to further reflect on. Though time is not a real thing in here, it already feels as though it's been millennia since the Sith Lord's saber was thrust through his stomach and he watched the tearful face of his padawan fade away with his consciousness. 

But what the Jedi didn't realize that day is that Qui-Gon didn't accept his fate to return to the Force. After much deliberation on the subject as he lay there dying, the Maverick master decided to pull one last stunt of going against the grain-- he denied to fully return, and instead willed his soul to stay close to the world he physically left behind. The Force allowed his request, and he has remained in limbo ever since. 

It's strange being a bystander to the living. Sometimes terrifying. Qui-Gon won't ever forget the surreal feeling of watching his own body burn on the pyre. His greatest quest is to figure out how to bridge the gap between his spirit world and the living. He knows it to be possible, he just needs to find the right balance.

It's taken years, but he finally believes he has the technique down. He stands on the very edge of the spirit world. One push big enough, and he can manifest himself back into the living as a ghost of himself. When considering how he was to test such an ability, Qui-Gon knew exactly who his first visit would be to. 

He sees Obi-Wan now, sitting alone in the living room of their old apartment. Same youthful eyes and toothy smile, but now he seems to have grown out a significant amount of facial hair to mask his child-like features. He looks older, definitely feeling the effects of having an apprentice running amuck. His padawan cut has vanished completely into a well-groomed flow that licks at his collar-- Qui-Gon recalls humorously growing his own hair out in a similar style as soon as Dooku cut off his braid. 

Obi-Wan is a well-respected knight, a good master to Anakin, and better than Qui-Gon could have ever imagined. He always knew Obi-Wan would be far wiser than him, and having watched him grow since his untimely death, he is prouder than he thought possible. 

Which is why he must see him. Speak to him. Try to find some way to make up for the years of pain he has inadvertently caused. 

The moment the Jedi Master realized the damage he had done was the impromptu knighting of his dear padawan. It was not in the Temple with the council honoring him with a lightsaber salute. Qui-Gon was not there to welcome him, bring him before Master Yoda, and be the first to present his student as a Knight of the Order. There was no party afterward, in which his friends and teachers would flood in to congratulate him. Instead, Obi-Wan knelt before Master Yoda and Master Windu, tears falling silently down his face, but they weren't of happiness for his accomplishment. Neither of the Jedi Masters really knew what to do with the new knight who said his vows through mournful sniffles. There was no party, and in the end, Qui-Gon watched as he threw the waist-length braid into the flames of his funeral pyre. 

Though Obi-Wan had no idea, he was there for the sleepless nights where he dragged his comforter out to the couch because sleeping in Qui-Gon's old bed was a little too much for the first few months. He was there when Anakin lashed out, wishing in vain that "Master Jinn were here". He was also there when Obi-Wan broke down as soon as he had a moment long enough, saying to nobody in particular that _he too wished he were still around_. 

_But I am, padawan. I am here._ Qui-Gon would want to say, but he wasn't yet strong enough to manage such a communication. 

But now he is. And now, he will finally be able to say the words he should have said as his dying breath. _I am proud of you, padawan mine. You have done marvelously._

Obi-Wan is making a cup of tea as Qui-Gon gathers the Force around him. He concentrates on his physical form, trying to manifest the body Obi-Wan formerly knew as his Master. It's taxing, and he has a sinking feeling he won't be able to hold it for long, but he doesn't need long. He just wants him to know he is still watching over him. 

Though, what Qui-Gon didn't anticipate, was the severed bond between them to spark up with life, and to feel a burst of _panic_ and _confusion_ flowing openly through it. 

The mug that was in Obi-Wan's hand a moment ago drops, shattering upon impact with the floor. Qui-Gon immediately withdraws as he sees the knight's wide eyes looking frantically around the apartment. 

"Hello?" Obi-Wan calls, his hand resting on his lightsaber hilt. "Who's there?" 

_So I have his attention at least... time to try again_. Qui-Gon repeats the process from earlier, this time being more careful of his shielding-- he hasn't had to worry about such a thing in years. The Force surrounds him, bolstering his spiritual self and pushing him slowly into the living world. Qui-Gon can feel his spirit pushing through, but as he looks down at himself his visual form isn't quite strong enough. _It'll have to do._

"Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon says, immediately disappointed with the distant echo of his voice. He isn't as near as he thought himself to be, and now he has only succeeded in making Obi-Wan draw his lightsaber in panic, waving it around at nothing. 

"Hello? Who are you? Show yourself!" 

_He must be able to feel my presence, but not see or hear me clearly..._ Qui-Gon pushes down his sorrow, watching helplessly as Obi-Wan continues to look aimlessly through the apartment. He thinks back to their bond that sprung open. _Maybe..._

Qui-Gon strums against it ever so carefully, trying hard not to scare the poor boy, but not succeeding in the slightest. Obi-Wan staggers in confusion, pressing his palm against his temple in confusion. 

"Master?" he whispers, before shaking his head. "No... that's impossible." 

"It's not impossible, padawan," Qui-Gon says, cursing when Obi-Wan only looks over his shoulder and doesn't seem to register his actual words. He pushes through their bond once more. _It's not impossible._

But their bond isn't what it once was. When Qui-Gon was slain on Naboo, their training bond was severed. Forcefully and painfully. Now he is doing nothing but reopening old scars. He realizes this as Obi-Wan's knees buckle and he cries out in pain. The dead Master recoils immediately, guilt coursing through him at the pain he's caused. He didn't expect Obi-Wan to feel his presence and panic. Nor did he expect their bond to begin bleeding again, leaving his padawan lying writhing on the floor. If his soul had the capacity to cry he probably would. 

Qui-Gon kneels down beside the young knight, laying a hand he will never feel on his shoulder. 

"I'm so sorry, my padawan. I'm so sorry." 

The front door opens, and in runs a teenage Anakin, tall and gawky. His eyes are wide as he spots his master lying on the ground, and in an instant Qui-Gon's place of comfort is stolen by the young padawan. 

"Master!" Anakin cries out. "I felt you in pain, what's going on?" 

A bond of their own. A life of their own. Qui-Gon stands back, watching as Obi-Wan tries to assure him he is fine and it is only a headache, while Anakin begins the ever-tedious lecture on going to the Healers. Though he feels shameful for his powers failing and causing such strife, he can't help but smile seeing the boys together. They care for one another deeply, he can feel it. They are two pieces to the puzzle of balance that holds the galaxy together. 

That's what Qui-Gon never really got to explain to his padawan or the Council. Though he felt a special connection with Anakin when he found him on Tatooine, the discovery of the slave boy also unlocked a new feeling in the Force that centered around Obi-Wan. His Force presence felt as though it was cloaked in light, a new shatter point that hadn't previously been there. Qui-Gon kept it to himself until he had more time to explore the strange feeling--and then he ran out of that precious time. It's why he couldn't return fully to the Force. Nobody else seems to have discovered the significance of Obi-Wan Kenobi yet, and he won't let his importance be buried by a prophecy that Qui-Gon himself brought to light. A prophecy that nearly ruined their relationship and gave no allowance for the Jedi Master to try to mend it.

Though he still knows not what their roles are in the Universe, Qui-Gon does know they are meant to work together through it all. 

Anakin manages to hoist Obi-Wan to his feet and help him to the couch. They talk quietly to one another, Anakin eyeing the broken mug but not saying a word about it. Obi-Wan asking for pain killers, which is more than he usually would request. 

And Qui-Gon steps away. He will let his grand-padawan pick up the pieces that he broke yet again. He will practice his ability to manifest as a Force ghost on people he hasn't damaged so deeply. One day, he will be able to show himself to Obi-Wan fully without sending him into a fit. Maybe he will even get to pass on such a gift at that time. One final lesson for his padawan. 

**Author's Note:**

> I always thought it weird that Qui-Gon never tried to come to Obi-Wan when he started figuring out his ability to be a force ghost. Maybe it was that Obi-Wan isn't as talented in the Force so he couldn't perceive him, but I thought maybe he did try to talk to him and it just went poorly. So he waited until he was older and Qui-Gon was more confident in his abilities. 
> 
> Thanks for reading:)


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